THE FINAL WORLD GOVERNMENT, COMMUNISTIC OR CAPITALISTIC--WHICH?

TEXT FOR PRAYERSurround Youth With Right Influences

I am reading from Christ's Object Lessons, pg. 53:

"When the mind is youthful and vigorous, and susceptible of rapid development, there is greattemptation to be ambitious for self, to serve self.... In this formative period of their children's life,the responsibility of parents is very great. It should be their study to surround the youth withright influences, influences that will give them correct views of life and its true success.... Themore the desire for pleasure is indulged, the stronger it becomes. The interest of these youth ismore and more absorbed in amusement, until they come to look upon it as the great object of life. They form habits of idleness and self-indulgence that make it almost impossible for them ever tobecome steadfast Christians."

We are here enjoined to pray that the youth be trained and weaned from serving self; that theparents themselves learn this, for in many instances parental impulses lead the children intoworldliness and pride; that the parents and children realize that the more the desire for pleasure isindulged, the stronger it becomes and the more impossible it is to satisfy; that we all understandthat unless the youth are given correct views of life and its true success, they will becomeabsorbed in amusement and come to look upon it as the great object in life.

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THE FINAL WORLD GOVERNMENT, COMMUNISTIC OR CAPITALISTIC--WHICH? Revelation 17, 18

Rev. 17:1-3 -- "And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked withme, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore thatsitteth upon many waters: with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and theinhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. So he carried meaway in the Spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full ofnames of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns."

This beast is seen to portray the world in its day as are all the beasts of Daniel and TheRevelation seen to portray the world in their day.

The wilderness being opposite of the vineyard denotes that the beast's domain is not in thePromised Land, not in the vineyard (Isa. 5:7), but in the lands of the Gentiles, the "wilderness." From his domain, therefore, is excluded the Holy Land. And by the fact that the woman is sittingon the beast, driving it, is positively shown that she is ruling it, and that the beast itself is thesymbol of the dominion of Babylon the Great.

The beast's ten horns portray civil powers, as do the horns of any symbolic beast. And if thewounded head of the leopard-like beast of chapter 13 is symbolical of a religious organization, asis taught by the Denomination, then his seven heads must likewise be figurative of religiousbodies! Thus it is that this beast in its entirety, like all the other such beasts of the Bible,symbolizes the Gentile world in its entirety -- civil and religious bodies (horns

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and heads).

To blaspheme is for one to speak lightly of God, to work hypocrisy, to profess to be somethingother than what one actually is. Inspiration's definition is this: "...I know the blasphemy of themwhich say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan." Rev. 2:9.

Rev. 17:4-6 -- "And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with goldand precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthinessof her fornication: and upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THEGREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And Isaw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus:and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration."

This woman does not symbolize something new, but something as old as the time of themartyrs, for she is the cause of their slaying. What could she be but a counterfeit religion whichoriginated with Cain's unacceptable sacrifice? Since then she has brought forth sectarianism, hasbecome a mother of harlots. Her abominations, you note, are made very attractive, beingdispensed from a golden cup held in hands that are gorgeously decked with the costliest things ofearth.

Rev. 17:7-13 -- "And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee themystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and tenhorns. The beast that thou sawest was, and is

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not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on theearth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of theworld, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. And here is the mind whichhath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there areseven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, hemust continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is ofthe seven, and goeth into perdition. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, whichhave received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These haveone mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast."

Here is a beast whose make-up is similar to that of the leopard-like beast of chapter 13. Thehorns of this scarlet-colored beast, though, are crownless, and none of his heads are wounded. Also, rather than having the name of Blasphemy written only over his heads, his whole body is fullof names of blasphemies.

In previous studies we learned that the leopard-like beast symbolizes the world from the fall ofPagan Rome to our time (The Great Controversy, pg. 442). Now, since the scarlet-colored beastalso has ten horns and seven heads, it is again seen that he, too, is in the stream of time a symbolof the world with its civil and religious powers -- horns and heads.

Inasmuch as his head is not wounded as is the head of the leopard-like beast, and since thewound of the leopard-like is healed, it is

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clear that the scarlet-colored beast represents the world in the time the wound is healed, in thetime the two-horned beast (Rev. 13:11-18) makes a likeness of the leopard-like beast in itspre-wounded state.

You notice that the horns of Daniel's fourth beast were crownless, and the horns of John'sleopard-like beast crowned, and again that the horns of the scarlet-colored beast are crownless. Inspiration by means of these symbolical beasts portrays three periods of time, one following theother: (1) the period before the European kings received their crowns; (2) the period in whichthey were crowned; (3) a period of crownless kings in which Babylon the Great reigns supreme.

The fact that nearly all crowned kings of the world have already been dethroned is proof in itselfthat Period No. 2, the period of the leopard-like beast (crowned horns) is about to pass away, andthat Period No. 3, the period of the scarlet-colored beast (crownless horns) is about to be usheredin. In order to make the transition, the present distress of the nations is therefore inevitable.

Rev. 17:14-18 -- "These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: forHe is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, andfaithful. And He saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, arepeoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon thebeast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh,and burn her with fire. For God hath put

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in their hearts to fulfill His will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until thewords of God shall be fulfilled. And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, whichreigneth over the kings of the earth."

Again, the fact that the ten horns (kings) have one mind (unlike the toe-kings of Daniel 2:42,43), but have no kingdom of their own, besides the fact that the woman rules the beast, and alsothe fact that the Communist leaders (crownless kings) of the nations and have one mind (worktogether for one common cause), -- all these facts show that though Communism appears to bethe next power to rule the world, this symbolical prophecy points out that the world will next beruled by an international religious system, by Babylon the Great, a rival of the religion of Christ,and a counterfeit of the woman in Revelation chapter 12. The scarlet-colored beast, therefore, isthe symbol of the world government into which the United Nations will finally evolve.

Since those who have no part in the first resurrection, all the unrepentant sinners from thebeginning of the world to the Millennium, are to be resurrected after the 1000 years, they will thenpositively discover that their names were not written "in the Book of Life", -- no, not one of them,even from the foundation of the world. The truth thus stands out clearly that then only will theybehold the beast in its three phases ("that was, and is not, and yet is"); that is, he "was" before theMillennium; "and is not" during the Millennium; "and yet is" after the Millennium.

He "is not" during the 1000 years because at

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the commencement of the 1000 years, the beast and the false prophet are "cast into the lake offire," then the "remnant," all the rest who came not out of Babylon's domain, are "slain with thesword" of the "King of kings, and Lord of lords." Rev. 19:21, 16.

To summarize, having lived before the Millennium, and also after the Millennium, and beingdead during the Millennium, the beast is seen in three phases, in three periods: the pre-millennialin which he "was," the millennial in which "he is not" and post-millennial, in which he "is."

He "shall ascend out of the bottomless pit" (out of the pit, in which Satan himself is to be boundfor a 1000 years), and then "go into perdition" (Rev. 17:8); that is, he will shortly be put to hissecond death from which there is no resurrection.

"He is the eighth, and is of the seven"; that is, there are four beasts in Daniel 7, two inRevelation 13, and one in chapter 17 -- seven beasts in all. But the seventh lives twice, and thusafter his resurrection "he is the eighth," but "is of the seven." Then he goes into perdition, --suffers the second death.

The statement, "and there are seven kings," shows that these kings are not in the symbolism;that is, they are not the horns, nor are they the heads. All the horns and the heads are present onthe beast, whereas the "seven kings" are not there symbolized -- five are fallen, one is, and theother is yet to come.

We must fully realize that God through this

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symbolism summarizes the history of the entire world, for the beast, as I said before, is symbolicalnot only of the pre-millennial world but also of the post-millennial wicked world. The seven kingsof kingdoms "from the foundation of the world before the flood; (1) The ancient world before theflood; (2) The ancient Babylonian Empire; (3) The Medo-Persian Empire; (4) the Grecian Empire;(5) The Roman Empire. These are fallen. (6) The one that is, is the world to which the presentdistress of nations is to give birth (the pre-millennial), and of which the beast itself, in his firstphase, is the symbol. And (7) the one that is to come, is the world after the 1000 years, of whichthe beast itself, in its third phase, is also a symbol.

Thus along with this symbolism the world of sin is represented from its beginning to its veryend. This beast, therefore, is the symbolical summary of the whole world.

The "one hour" is obviously the time from the eleventh to the twelfth allegorical hours as setforth in Matthew 20:6.

Number ten in this instance, as elsewhere in the Bible, carries the meaning of universality. Theten kings have no kingdom while the woman drives the beast, but jointly with the beast they willhave power as kings. The phrase, "as yet," implies that after the one hour they will receive theirkingdom.

Rev. 17:14 -- "These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for He isLord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful."

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These kings are to be anti-religious and therefore anti-Christian. They shall eventually makewar with the Lord and with His called, chosen, and faithful ones, but "the Lamb shall overcome"the kings.

The woman, as shown before, is the symbol of a confederated religious system with which thehorns are not only in disagreement but are also her enemies. Consequently, after the symbolicalhour is passed, they unseat her from the beast, make her desolate, and burn her with fire. Then itis that they receive their kingdom "for a season and time." Dan. 7:12.

Rev. 17:17 -- "For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill His will, and to agree, and give theirkingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled."

The call to come out of Babylon (Rev. 18:4), is a call to God's people to come out of hergeographic dominion.

The eighteenth chapter is a continuation of the seventeenth, and so we shall study it also:

Rev. 18:1 -- "And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having greatpower; and the earth was lightened with his glory."

After what things? -- After the scarlet-colored beast comes into being and while the woman,Babylon, is sitting upon him. It is then that the earth is to be lightened with the glory of the angel,with the message of the hour.

Rev. 18:2-4 -- "And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is

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fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of everyunclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication,and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth arewaxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven,saying, Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive notof her plagues."

A heavenly voice, the Spirit of Truth, is heard calling God's people out of Babylon after theearth is lightened with the glory of the angel. For God's people to come out so that they be notpartakers of her sins and receive not of her plagues, they must necessarily be called into a placethat is free from sin, and thus be saved from Babylon's plagues. Consequently they go into apurified sinless church, and a land that is not in danger of the plagues.

Rev. 18:5-7 -- "For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in thecup which she hath filled fill to her double. How much she hath glorified herself, and liveddeliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and amno widow, and shall see no sorrow."

She has rewarded God's people with evil, and now she is to be paid back double. She hasboasted of ruling the world, and has said in her heart that she is not a "widow," that God is herhusband, but she finds herself mistaken.

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Rev. 18:8-13 -- "Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine;and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God Who judgeth her. And thekings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewailher, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, standing afar off for thefear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour isthy judgment come. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no manbuyeth their merchandise any more: the merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, andof pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all mannervessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, andmarble, and cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fineflour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots and slaves, and souls of men."

She has had everything put into her hands, and her hands put into everything, but now her glorycomes to an end.

Rev. 18:14-21 -- "And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all thingswhich were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all. The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of hertorment, weeping and wailing, and saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen,and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! For in one hour sogreat riches is come

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to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as tradeby sea, stood afar off, and cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is likeunto this great city! And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying,Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of hercostliness! for in one hour is she made desolate. Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holyapostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. And a mighty angel took up a stone likea great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylonbe thrown down, and shall be found no more at all."

What violence! and what an inglorious end when the ten horns take hold of Babylon, theheadquarters of that pretentious, self-righteous world-wide power. Now is our time andopportunity to get ready for the four winds to be let loose, and prepare an asylum, a sinless placefor the gathering of the people, and for the finishing of the gospel work in all the world.

Rev. 18:22-24 -- "And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall beheard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any morein thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; and the light of a candleshall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heardno more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries wereall nations deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all thatwere

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slain upon the earth."

We see that this system of government is set up for no other purpose than to make its adherentsrich in the name of religion, a practice which supersedes all other forms of idolatry.

If our hearts are set on wealth, if our love of money becomes greater than our love to help setup the Kingdom, then there is no hope. Such shall find themselves magnetically drawn down intoBabylon. We must remember that the love of money is the root of all evil; that it is easier for acamel to go through the needle's eye than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom. But, sad tosay, in spite of this solemn warning, we see even the most informed in the things of God fallvictims to such filthy lucre.

If we have the dollar when we need it, also are certain from day to day of our clothing, food,and a bed to sleep in, we should feel rich. We should feel as if we had a million dollars in thebank. Yes, if we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and mind the Lord'sbusiness, being slothful in nothing and conscientious in everything, then we shall have all theseadded unto us (Matt. 6:31-33).

We have therefore again seen that the final world government is to be neither Communistic norCapitalistic, but ecclesiastical and more in favor of Capitalism than Communism.

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